fitnessprincess’s BodyBlog

Meal 1 walked to Mike’s
half an eggwhite veggie omelet
cup of oatmeal
black coffee
medium DD coffee w skim
208 cal 17P 2F 30C

Meal 2
other half of eggwhite veggie omelet
14-g almonds
2-c herb tea (tulsi)
243 cal 24P 8F 19C

went to the Farmer’s Market got a different kind of kale, collard greens, spring mix salad mix, fresh spinach, and some middle eastern spices

Meal 3
24-oz black iced DD coffee
4-oz canned chicken in water
14-g almonds
233 cal 34P 10F 2C

Meal 4
3-oz chunk light tuna in water
32-oz arizona diet peach tea
110 cal 20P 1F 8C

20-min step mill L10-14 intervals 2.11-mi 101-floors
20-min stationary bike L8/9 hills 5.31-mi

On my way home stopped at Whole Food and found they had fiddleheads!!! what a great day!!!  If you aren’t familiar with fiddleheads that’s OK.  They are unique to New England.  Here’s a link to a short article about them:  http://gonewengland.about.com/cs/recipes/g/glfiddleheads.htm
They are a great source of vitamins A and C.  They are better/more tasty when they are small and the ferns are tightly coiled.  I like to steam them or saute them in olive oil and drizzle balsamic vinegar over them.  Yum!!!

Meal 5 - thirsty and tired
123-g smoked salmon
16-oz green tea
239 cal 29P 13F 5C

Meal 6
3-oz bell&evans chicken filet
1.75-c canned green beans
32-oz arizona pomegranate green diet tea
198 cal 23P 2F 23C

total 1231 cal 145P 37F 87C - got 6 meals and 4.6-L water - not a bad day

I am a technology early adopter.  Doesn’t matter what it is, if it is new I am likely to buy it as soon as it comes to market.  On April 20th when the Olympic Women’s Trials and the Marathon were in town, I went to the Fitness Fair they always hold for marathoners in the Hynes Auditorium.  Nike had just come out with the Nike sport band so I bought one.  I was pretty excited at the time because I have an iPOD nano and a Nike sport kit but I don’t like to listen to music when I run.  The sport band allows you to track your run without having to wear/use an iPOD.  Anyway, I brought mine home and couldn’t get it to work.  I called Nike and had to basically troubleshoot the product.  First the sensor was suspected and finally I figured out that it was the band itself.  So making a long story short, Friday I took the sport band/sensor to the Nike store and got a replacement.  On the way back to the office I stopped at the Farmer’s Market and got some fresh spring mix salad and kale to bring home to mom to share with her for dinner and even managed to get in a good workout before heading home.  Good stuff!

It was a very good weekend.  I took Saturday off in terms of food journaling. Also Saturday was my rest day in terms of exercise/workout.
Summary for Sunday 5/25/08

Meal 1
wimpy eggwhite veggie omelet and 0.5-c oatmeal at Joan & Ed’s with black coffee - I hate Joan & Ed’s they are so cheap and skimp on food there.  I always feel cheated but Mom wants to go there so - ugh!
264 cal 26P 2F 34C

Meal 2
salmon jerky
3-oz smoked salmon
1.75-c green beans
16-oz herb tea
356 cal 54P 7F 19C

nap

Meal 3
3.8-oz chicken breast filet and mushrooms and olive oil
spring mix salad with waldens
32-oz water
32-oz herb tea (tulsi tea and mate vana)
311 cal 31P 10F 23C

Meal 4
chocolate protein pudding
ff sf cool whip
cherries
283 cal 27P 5F 35C

1214 cal 138P 24F 111C
Summary for Monday 5/26/08

Meal 1
breakfast at Kugel’s eggwhite veggie omelet w 1-c oatmeal and black coffee
264 cal 26P 2F 34C

Meal 2
3-oz smoked salmon
1.75-c green beans
192 cal 22P 5F 14C

Meal 3
225-g seitan
14-oz DD coffee w skim
220 cal 37P 0F 20C

WATP 4-mi fast walk - 45-min.  I am so glad that I worked out.  I was so pissed and angry before. It just goes to show how important it is to develop healthy habits.  Habits really save your butt.  I tested out the replacement Nike sport band - at least this one works - didn’t correctly track my distance - said I went 0.2-mi (LOL!) but hey it read something.  I am going to try it out again tomorrow.

Meal 4
200-g coleslaw w Bragg’s aminos and cider vinegar
3-oz Bell & Evans chicken breast
10-oz mushrooms
32-oz herb tea (teavana mate vana - yum!)
239 cal 29P 3F 24C

Meal 5
******** protein pudding
18-g almonds
32-oz water
254 cal 30P 13F 7C

total 1167 cal 143P 23F 99C

I am writing today in response to a post Rebecca Slatt made recently (5/14) and DVSNESS’s blog today.  In her blog, Rebecca Slatt announced her retirement from competing in figure.  Her blog entry explained that she wants to live a healthy life and she has been struggling with the competition lifestyle.  I left her a comment but I think it is worth expanding on it and decided to focus today on the associated issues.  Dvsness featured an article entitled "No Apologies" by Charles Peeples.

The issues associated with the competition lifestyle aren’t new nor are they any different from those associated with dieting in general.  The problems I see arise because figure and fitness is a sport for young people and young people tend to believe that they are invincible.  Young people have little sense of time because time for them extends forever.  Consequently, they don’t take the time to ask the questions you really need to think about before beginning any venture, specifically:

• What is your ultimate goal? (where are you going)
• Why do you want to achieve this?
• What do you really want to get out of this?
• What will you need to do in order to achieve your goal? Be specific.
• How long will it take to achieve this goal?
• What are you willing to do to make it happen?

Too few people truly count the cost with an eye toward the long term (life) and even fewer stop periodically to reassess and reevaluate their answers to these questions.  As a consequence being short on time and patience, lacking the appropriate temporal perspective they make dumb decisions such as using diet pills, taking steroids or other drugs, eating an excessively low caloric intake, exercising excessively, and restricting in unhealthy ways the variety of food they eat.  Some competitors jump from coach to coach believing that this will allow them to "win."  Many think that they will be the next "IT" girl in figure/fitness winning the Olympia, getting a modeling, TV, or supplement company contract that will net them big bucks.  The truth is that few will ever reach the national stage and even fewer will ever receive any financial remuneration of any significant import for their efforts.  The bottom line here is:  Folks, wake up!  Don’t quit your day job.  (And the lessons here apply to your day job, too!)

OK so is the Figure/fitness lifestyle unhealthy?  It can be but it doesn’t have to be.  It all depends on you and what you do.  I think figure/fitness can be a fun and healthy hobby - and I emphasize HOBBY - but I think you need to count the cost and develop a long term perspective on your health and fitness.  If you are overly concerned with your bodyfat %, your bodyweight, measurements, your diet (calories, etc.), or your placing in one or more figure/fitness competitions then I submit you have a problem and I would encourage you to seek help before your problem becomes more serious even life threatening.  I agree with Rebecca and cannot say this strongly enough.  There is no shame in seeking professional help if you need it.   Each of us has been given one life and you have no idea how long it will be.  You do have some control over its quality - make sure your life is a life filled with health, love, and fitness!   Now I will climb down off my soap box.

I am sore.  Particularly sore in my left bicep where the Am. Red Cross bozo tied a rubber strip super tight around my upper arm when he couldn’t find any blood.

Meal 1 went to Mike’s
half an eggwhite veggie omelet w black coffee
cup of oatmeal

Meal 2
other half of the eggwhite omelet
medium DD coffee w skim
almonds salted and roasted
1-c water
1-c tulsi tea

Meal 3
4-oz tongol tuna in water
medium DD coffee w skim
4-c water

my arms were still sore - the left one in particular so I decided against doing training and did cardio only
walking on treadmill 20-min fat burner 1.35-mi 265 cal (yes, I know this is meaningless)
stationary bike 20-min L7 hills 5.19-mi 128 cal
elliptical 20-min 1.95-mi crosstraining 206 cal

Meal 4
perdue chicken breast
asparagus
4-c herb tea
cole slaw w Bragg’s aminos and apple cider

meal 5
tuna jerky
smoked salmon
asparagus
2-c herb tea

Sunday 5/18/08 Summary
cardio  WATP 4-mi and 3-mi walk slim walks 90-min
Meal 1
turkey jerky
salad w Bragg’s aminos and cider vinegar
herb tea (mate vana)

Meal 2
chicken
asparagus
herb tea (mate vana)

Meal 3
smoked salmon
salad w Bragg’s aminos and cider vinegar
herb tea (mate vana)

Meal 4
Stallone protein pudding
Trader Joe’s frozen blueberries (sweet and good - Trader Joes really has good products)

Monday 5/19/08 Summary

Meal 1 went to Mike’s
half an eggwhite veggie omelet w black coffee
cup of oatmeal

Meal 2
other half of the eggwhite omelet
medium DD coffee w skim
almonds salted and roasted
2-c water
1-c tulsi tea

went to give blood but the goon-balls messed up the right arm and then couldn’t find anything in the left - grh!  So, they messed up (bruised) both arms and I can’t weight train today.  I came back to the office and called the National Red Cross to complain.  Anyway, I am going to switch today and tomorrow so today will be cardio.   Not ideal but hey gotta go with the flow

Meal 3
can of shaw’s chicken in water
almonds salted and roasted
4-c water
medium DD coffee w skim

cardio only - 60-min stationary bike hills L6/7 14.87-mi 360-calories (yes, I know this is meaningless)

Meal 4
stallone protein pudding
strawberries
2-c herb tea (mate vana!)
chewable multivitamin

Meal 5
perdue chicken breast
cole slaw w cider vinegar and bragg’s aminos
asparagus
4-c herb tea

Today has been a rough day for me.  I have to laugh when I say that though because nothing has actually happened to me.  It did happen to a very dear friend and graduate student.  She was coming back from a much deserved vacation after finishing the spring semester and passing her cumulative examinations.  "Cumes" as they are often called are usually the final requirement before submitting one’s dissertation in a Ph.D. program.  My friend is 23 and an amazing young woman - one of the most positive people I have ever met, a gifted teacher, researcher, and just a nice person.  She was training for a triathlon with her dad before vacation - like I said an amazing young woman.  I don’t know exactly what happened but she suffered a stroke and is now in the a great hospital receiving care.  They had her in a coma for a couple weeks and I heard today that she is being brought out of it.  Anyway, I realize it is off topic but I wanted to write today about her, which I have now done, and talk a bit about strokes.

Before I do though I want to make sure that everyone knows I am not a medical professional in any way, shape, or form.  I am just a person like you who now knows someone touched by a stroke.

A great place to go to learn more about strokes is the American Stroke Association website:
http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200037
and the National Stroke Association website:
http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=STROKE

Here are a few things you may not know about strokes:

1.  They are the third leading cause of death in the US

2.  Twice as many women die of strokes than breast cancer every year and more women than men will die from stoke
3.  African americans are twice as likely as caucasians to die of stroke

4. Strokes are not an old-persons disease.  They can strike anyone, anywhere.

5.  May is National Stroke Month.  Both of the above organizations have fliers on their websites that you can download and share with family and friends.  I hope you will do that.

I know before my friend was struck down I had no idea what the symptoms of a stroke were.  The symptoms can seem somewhat vague:  a sudden severe headache, dizziness, loss of coordination/balance, mental confusion, an inability to speak, a sudden numbness affecting your limbs on one side of the body.

The key to successful treatment and recovery from a stroke is getting medical help quickly.   The National Stroke Association has a simple test that can help anyone detect stroke symptoms.  It is based on the acronym FAST

F = Face - ask the person to smile - does one side of their face droop?
A = Arm - ask the person to raise their arms - does one arm droop?
S = Speech - ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and listen carefully to see if it sounds garbled or slurred
T = Time - time is of the essence call 911 if you suspect a stroke

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this blog today. You may have learned more than you expected but if it saves one person today, I will feel better. Please pray for my student.

One of the things I had heard the most about before even considering competing was rebounding.  This is the regain of weight following competition that causes some to go into an emotional and physical tailspin as their egos have become intertwined with their temporary/artificial competition physique.  As someone who was formerly obese this was something I worried a great deal about when considering competing as I had no interest in becoming overweight ever again.  While this certainly at least mentally put me on alert, the information did not translate, as information often fails to, into action.  No sooner had I left the competition venue did I find myself waiting at the train station to go home and worshipping the vending machines to which I am ordinarily immune.  I cannot say how much money I spent but I ate quite a lot of junk food including jalapeno potato chips, pop tarts, peanut butter cups, an almond joy bar, diet soda (give me a break!) and peanut m&m’s(burp!).  As soon as I got home after showering (a desire to be clean was the only thing slowing me down), I walked across the street and bought two slices of pizza, a pint of ice cream, a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies, more peanut m&m’s and gorged myself until I was replete.  Sunday was a repeat performance only this time I ate so much food I felt sick which was a good thing because this put me on notice mentally and helped me get back on track Monday and Tuesday.  I had been promised there was a backing out program but got no response to my emails.  I figured my coaches were busy with other girls’ prep and didn’t press as hard as I wish I had.  Unfortunately I got off course again. I didn’t let that slow me down I tried to eat well Thursday and Friday only to stumble again Saturday.  I suppose at this point I could have just throw up one’s hands and give up, right?   Sorry but no.  I just dusted myself off again and got right back on track.  I motored along back on track 4 days straight.  Fell off the bandwagon and climbed back on again.   I have been struggling the last few weeks to stay on track.   I am not sure what I am going to do at this point.  I am tired and frustrated and I have worked too hard to get where I am weight-wise.  Don’t worry I am too stubborn and have worked too hard to stay down.  I am just struggling to figure out how to stay on track.

If you have any advice, I would really love to hear from you!!  Many thanks in advance.

Meal 1
0.5 veggie omelet, oatmeal, black coffee
14-oz DD coffee w skim
os cal
230 cal 18P 3F 34C

2 kreation

Meal 2
0.5 veggie omelet
14-g almonds
20-oz herb tea
os cal
170 cal 13P 8F 11C

did the NU Healthy You Challenge.  bioimpedance said my %BF was 25.7%  My blood pressure was 110/66
Based on some stuff I picked up I think I am going to start to log my mood and hunger level with each meal.

Meal 3
14-oz DD coffee w skim
24-oz water
4-oz chunk light tuna in water
141 cal 27P 1F 4C

Meal 4
stallone protein pudding
16-oz herb tea
115 cal 20P 2F 5C

stationary bike 20-min L7 hills 4.91-mi 118 cal (yes, I know this is meaningless)
SOS May workout B week #2 1-h
elliptical 20-min crosstraining 1.87-mi 199 cal

Meal 5
8-oz tofettes
3-oz smoked salmon
8-oz mushrooms
16-oz herb tea
443 cal 52P 21F 14C

Meal 6
stallone protein pudding
16-oz herb tea
149 cal 25P 3F 5C

total 1247 cal 155P 38F 73C (6 meals and 1 gallon fluids)

OK it looks like we have a mission!  Short term objective:  stage-ready for the Body Language Natural Physique Association (BNLPA) October competition in Seekonk!
The website for the BNLPA is URL:  http://www.blnpa.com/

BLNPA Northeastern Natural - October 18, 2008
(Open Overall Winners Qualify For Pro Status)
Div(s): Bodybuilding / Figure / Fitness/ Male open Pros / Figure open Pros
Site: Seekonk High School, 261 Arcade Avenue, Seekonk MA 02771
Promoter: Kevin Topka, (401)265-8671 KevinTopka@aol.com

I truly enjoyed my first figure competition and I am very satisfied with how things worked out.  Based on my experience I have decided I would very much like to compete again however this time I would like to actually place.  This has led me to think a bit about what I look like and what I want and don’t want to look like.  I do not like the in my opinion overly thick and masculine musculature of the NPC figure women.  I prefer a more natural, feminine look that I see in some of the other federations.  I also want to hone my abs and legs - particularly the upper portion.  Again, I am interested in a leaner musculature here.  Hence I will be working on recomposition.  My experience also showed me the importance of stage presentation.  I need to work on this - walking and posing.   I recognize this will take time so Cathy and Jodi have identified a viable short term objective:  competing in the BNLPA Northeastern Natural Oct. 18th in Seekonk.  This works for me as I function my best when I have a goal and an objective - LOL!  just the analytical chemist in me!

Please feel free to join me on my journey!

This post is going to be a bit of a rant and hopefully at the same time it will educate some of you concerning household products.  Some of you are laughing but apparently there are a number of women in figure (and maybe men in bodybuilding) who are gluing their suits to their butts with 3M adhesive spray or other home repair products like Elmer’s spray craft glue.  Me, well, it never would have occurred to me in a million years that anyone would be stupid enough to do this butt (bad pun!) apparently this is common practice.  The logic goes as follows:  Bikini bite doesn’t work for me and someone told me this works.  Yeah? And if they told you to drink poison, you would do that, too?  I don’t think so  so tell me why you are willing to blindly do this?  It makes no sense to me.  Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to use a product in any way other than as described on the packaging?  Well, she goes to the head of the class on this one!  Listen to her for pete’s sake!  She’s got a great head on her shoulders and I hope you told her that today, too.  If not make sure you do before you go to sleep tonight!

When in doubt guys, go on the internet to the manufacturer’s website and obtain the product’s material safety data sheet (msds).  Material Safety Data Sheets are intended to provide information on the properties (physical, chemical, environmental, and toxicological), handling, and transport of chemical reagents.   An important point to make is that the msds has been written to provide the reader info under the assumption that the user is going to use the product as the manufacturer intended, i.e., an msds isn’t going to provide advice to idiots who intend to misuse the product.  If the msds says you should wear gloves when handling the product then that’s a good indication that the product is can be absorbed through your skin which is an organ and represents a direct transport system to the blood stream.  If the msds tells you the product can be absorbed through the skin and cause “target organ effects” your brain should tell you:  applying this product to my butt is a dumb and dangerous idea.  Hmmm I think I should use Bikini Bite instead.  Enough said.